Forum, Dec. 1: Photo Illustrates N.H. Voting Issue

The caption on the front-page photo the day after the election sums up perfectly the need for New Hampshire to clarify what “home” means in terms of voting. It describes a Dartmouth College student, “of Saratoga, Calif.” as she “gets a ride from Robinson Hall to Hanover High School to cast her vote in the midterm election on Tuesday in Hanover.”

Shouldn’t that student have been described as “of Hanover, N.H.”? Otherwise, the caption ought to have described her as getting “a ride to the post office to cast her California absentee ballot.”

Margaret Drye

Plainfield

Time Is Running Out To Button Up, Vermont

Vermonters, this is your last chance. Every year in the fall we button up our houses before winter. This year, Button Up Vermont has partnered with local contractors to provide a free walk-through for residents in participating communities, and the deadline to take advantage of this service is Dec. 15.

A comprehensive energy audit from a professional energy contractor usually costs $300 to $600. For a short time, through the Button Up program, a shorter version of the energy audit is free. You’ll look at your house with your contractor and learn more about how you can make it more efficient. Following the visit, you’ll receive a summary of suggested work, such as insulating your attic or sealing up air leaks in your basement.

The recommendations are prioritized with the ones that save you the most money and energy on top. You may choose to do all items on the list, or only one or two. You may even choose to do none of the items. There may be a rebate from Efficiency Vermont, depending on what work you choose to complete, and you may be eligible for low-interest financing. Your contractor will have details.

If you are interested, go to www.buttonupvermont.org and open the “Button Up checklist.” Next, click on the colored rectangle labeled “sign up for a free contractor visit.” There is a list of towns participating in Button Up this year. If you live in any of the 17 towns, the walk-through is free. There are different contractors who have agreed to work with each town. You will need to fill in a page of questions about your house. You don’t need to fill in all the answers. You can collect the data and share with your contractor later. Time is limited. Please consider signing up before Dec. 15.

Would the Valley News be willing to do a follow-up story on medical conditions that can be a large factor in road safety? What comes to mind is diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep disorders. I’m sure there must be many, many more. Sleep disorders are especially sneaky because most people don’t recognize the symptoms, like daytime drowsiness, fatigue, depression and anxiety, to name a few. Looking forward to an article on how medical conditions affect road safety.

Marilyn White

White River Junction

Jim Kenyon’s Columns Made a Difference

Jim Kenyon’s columns about Scott Pixley (“Prescription-Drug DUI Case Shows Odds Against the Poor,” Nov. 11, and “No DUI Charge, but Case Not Over,” Nov. 15) made such a difference in one family’s life. Thank you. And kudos to Charlie Buttrey for taking on the case pro bono. Well done, guys.

Elsa Lind

West Lebanon

It’s the Republicans Who Are to Blame

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un are not our friends. In fact, they are major world threats. I believe the majority of Republicans know exactly what is going on. Why aren’t they doing something about it? Perhaps they think they can take over the country and make major cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which they have been trying to do for years. This would let them make even bigger tax cuts.

I attended a parochial school, and the nuns taught us the unending love, kindness and forgiveness of Jesus and God. They also taught us about the other side. Do you think Jesus and God approve of the hate, bigotry, lies, greed and immorality spewed every day by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Fox News, our cheating president and the cowards in Congress? Bill Clinton is a saint compared to those who Republicans glorify and vote for. Republicans go to President Donald Trump’s rallies and scream and jump up and down, but tell me one person or group that our cheater president hasn’t thrown under the bus when he doesn’t need them anymore.

Do you realize that when Ronald Reagan came into office he gave a big tax cut to the rich, driving the deficit way up? George H.W. Bush drove it up even more. Clinton got the deficit down to nothing, and when he left office, the country was booming. George W. Bush gave a big tax cut to the rich, started the war in Iraq and drove our economy into the worst recession since the crash in 1929. Barack Obama got our country back in shape, but you would never hear that from the lying hatemongers. Trump gave a big tax cut to you know who — not you! The Republicans have driven our country into the worst hole since the Civil War.

If the Democrats had done this, the Republicans would have passed a law banning them from the country because they had put greed, hypocrisy and ignorance before our constitution and country.